


be my friend and walk with me

by jjongcuddles



Series: let's just run for our lives [2]
Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Actors, Gen, M/M, Park Seonghwa-centric, Reincarnation, not really seongjoong tho
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-23 23:13:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30063006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jjongcuddles/pseuds/jjongcuddles
Summary: "OKAY, STANDBY."Seonghwa made a few last minute adjustments before going back to his seat and catching the attention of everyone, set hushing down."LIGHTS, CAMERA… ACTION."orone wherein seonghwa makes a friend out of hongjoong and observes.
Relationships: Choi Jongho/Kim Hongjoong, Kim Hongjoong & Park Seonghwa, Kim Hongjoong/Park Seonghwa
Series: let's just run for our lives [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2211657
Comments: 3
Kudos: 17





	be my friend and walk with me

**Author's Note:**

> hello!! this work is connected to the first one in the series, i would recommend reading that one first before this so that you would be able to fully understand what's happening.

Seonghwa had met Hongjoong in a university café, the smaller one of the two seeming to have been stressing over an overdue essay and a script he had to memorize for his drama audition. 

Seonghwa looked around the busy café for an empty table but due to his dismay, he couldn't find one. As he was waiting in the line, he gripped his notes binder and contemplated on sitting with a complete stranger. The tall guy liked the ambience of a coffee shop and often went there to study, not wanting his roommates to disturb the bubble of peace and focus he had already made. Seonghwa cursed at his sleep deprived self for not thinking it through, _'Should I just go back to the dorm?'_ he thought just as he was near on giving up the idea of sitting with a stranger. _'But Wooyoung's most probably going to bring Yunho and Mingi home again…'_ he grimaced at the thought. 

It seemed like everyone went with a friend or two to accompany them for the day, for he couldn't see a single table with at least one chair free for sitting. 

After more moments of thinking, Seonghwa retrieved his ordered coffee and saw a guy who was focused on reading a whole stack of paper, seeming to be memorizing lines. He didn't know why, but Seonghwa felt drawn to the man. He knew that the feeling wasn't of a romantic kind but he can't help but want to be friends with this man. Unknowingly, he walked closer to the focused guy and cleared his throat once he got into hearing distance. 

The guy snapped his head up at the sound, “Uh, yes?”

That’s when it hit Seonghwa, this guy is Kim Hongjoong, a famous child actor who has won numerous daesangs from the most prestigious award shows of Korea. 

Trying to keep his cool, Seonghwa cleared his throat and smiled at him kindly. "Hello, I was wondering if I could use the free space you have? Because the café is really full and I have no-" 

"And if I say no?" the actor cut him off with a cold tone. He looked at his fellow university student with matching cold eyes and raised eyebrows. 

As if affected by the cold of the man's voice, Seonghwa froze, awkward smile still on his face. "A-Ah…" he stuttered. "Then I'd just… I don't know, go back home and deal with my annoying roommate, I guess." he stumbled over his words, scratching the back of his neck with his free hand and chuckling nervously. 

Like ice melting, Seonghwa watched the actor's cold expression melt away into a bright smile. Hongjoong chuckled at the standing man and waved it away, "I was just joking, of course you can." he informed. 

Seonghwa almost sighed in relief and put his study stuff down at the table, including the coffee, and sat down at the chair across the actor's. "Sorry for bothering you, it's just…" he sighed stressfully. "I can't really study back at the dorm, everyone's too noisy." 

"So you decided to go to a full café?" Hongjoong asked, shrugging at the newfound information. "Seems logical to me." 

Acting offended, Seonghwa dramatically gasped, "Excuse you? I'll have you know that these moments are rare." he scoffed playfully. "Also, the people out here at least have the decency to keep their voices down at an acceptable volume, unlike the people back home…" Seonghwa shuddered at the thought. 

The taller had been studying Fine Arts in uni in order to get a bachelor's degree and achieve his dreams of being a film and drama director. He can't help but let out a chuckle at his current situation. 

His usual study café was filled to the brim so he decided to sit with a random stranger who seemed to resonate something within him and now the stranger just happened to be a world-class actor which was coincidental to his own major. 

The actor glanced through the cup he was drinking from and quirked an eyebrow at the other university student. "Why are you laughing?" he asked. 

As if on cue, Seonghwa's chuckles intensified, turning to a reserved laugh. "Sorry, you must think I'm crazy right now. I promise I'm usually not like this, I just didn't expect to meet a famous child actor in my sleep deprived state." 

Hongjoong tensed at the comment, _'Is he sitting with me because…'_ he thought. 

The chuckling man noticed his reaction and quickly moved to reassure him, "Ah, don't worry… I actually didn't recognize you until you looked at me, sorry if it seemed like I was a stalker." Seonghwa grimaced, feeling guilty at the tension he caused. "I just picked a random table that seemed nice and saw you, I can leave if-" 

"No need." 

"-you want to… Huh?" Seonghwa was puzzled, did that mean he could stay at the table? 

The smaller sighed and gestured to knock it off, nodding at the man in front of him, "You seem nice, you could stay. Besides, I can be quite noisy when memorizing lines. I hope you don't mind…" Hongjoong paused, waiting for a name. 

"Seonghwa, nice to meet you" the said man held a hand out, as if expecting a handshake. 

To be a star, but oh the irony of choosing a major that focused on harboring the stars themselves… 

"Likewise… I'm Hongjoong, but you already know that." he returned the handshake. 

To be the center of the world, how fitting for a man who has continuously snatched awards from minor and major award shows left and right. 

Just like that, Seonghwa knew he was in for a long ride with this man. 

Throughout the rest of their university years, the both have started meeting up more for a study session and were mostly each other's driving force to the road of a successful graduation. Whether it be in Hongjoong's penthouse in the 65th floor of a building near the university or in Seonghwa's decent-but-kinda-dingy college dorm in the dormitory building, the both always found a way to support each other. 

(Also, Wooyoung totally didn't freak out when he saw Kim Hongjoong sitting in their dorm couch. 

"WHAT THE FUCK SEONGHWA-HYUNG, YOU'RE FUCKING KIM HONGJOONG??" 

"JUNG WOOYOUNG!!" 

…

Yeah, he totally didn't. 

And no, Seonghwa and Hongjoong are not fuck buddies nor in a relationship with each other.) 

Seonghwa sighed as he plopped down on the expensive futon in Hongjoong's city view penthouse. "I'm so damn frustrated, Joong." he let out another heavy sigh. 

Hongjoong gazed through the graded lenses of his eyeglasses, he hummed at his friend's agony and went back to reading his new script. "What is it, Hwa?" he asked, he licked his thumb and turned to a new page. 

The taller grimaced quietly at the actor's habit of licking the thumb before the next page and quickly shook the thought away. 

(He remembers realizing that Hongjoong often did this so his own scripts would always be covered in saliva just in one corner.) 

"It's so hard finding a job, I think I'm gonna die before being able to direct my first work." the fresh graduate whined. 

"..." 

"Joong?" Seonghwa glanced at the busy man in an upside down view from the couch, head hanging off of the seat and legs dangling over the backrest. 

Hongjoong seemed to snap off his focus and glanced at Seonghwa, "Oh right, sorry." he chuckled nervously then set aside his script after bookmarking where he was currently at. He then shifted his focus onto his miserable friend, eyes serious. 

"I think you should establish a start-up company." 

And with that, Seonghwa tried to sit up yet failed to do so, resulting with a 'thud' on the floor. He ignored the pain on his hip and looked at the actor, who was currently giggling with a concerned face. 

"What did you just say?" 

"Make an indie studio! Your friends are also natural talents when it comes to filmmaking, I don't see why you shouldn't do it." Hongjoong shrugged, arms crossed. 

Seonghwa gave a blank stare to him, "I see why I shouldn't do it." he deadpanned. 

"I'll fund it! I'll invest and be your sponsor. I can even be the actor, just say the word and I'll be there." the actor exclaimed, looking excited about his plan for his friend. 

Fast forward to years later, when he can hear Hongjoong yelling his name from 3 tables away once he was called to the stage for his acceptance speech. 

Seonghwa had just won an award for being the _'Best Director'_ for his work _'Desire',_ which had garnered a huge sum of attention and box-office alike. 

"Uhm, I didn't expect this at all so I didn't have a speech ready." he could hear the audience laugh at his starting remarks. 

"First off, I'd like to thank my team for making this happen. This movie has been hectic to shoot due to the unforeseeable circumstances but I'm glad we managed to pull through. I'd like to thank the cast as well for being the light of the set when times were gloomy. See to it that this is my first ever award, I would like to thank the man who started it all, the one who pushed me ever since the beginning." Seonghwa could feel his heart about to burst, tears were itching to get out but he didn't mind it. He glanced at the array of tables and saw Hongjoong sitting there with the warmest smile he had ever seen on him. 

"My best friend, Kim Hongjoong. Without you, I wouldn't be here pursuing my dreams. Therefore, I dedicate this award to you. Here's to more!"

When Seonghwa walked back to his table, he saw Hongjoong sitting next to the empty seat where Seonghwa was assigned to. "I requested a seat change, I hope you don't mind." Hongjoong smirked at him, the gold of his brooch shining. Resembling the two other trophies on the table, which were both Hongjoong's. 

The director scoffed and sat down on his seat, getting tackled by his team of moral supporters since the start. Seonghwa quickly peeled away from them and focused on the next award to be given. He frowned when he saw that there was 2 award categories flashed on the screen and same with the amount of trophies on the podium. 

_**BEST ROOKIE ACTOR** _

_**BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR** _

_**CHOI JONGHO - "HYUK" IMITATION (2021)** _

He heard loud cheers from the live audience watching from behind the tables. _'Damn, this kid is in demand.'_ he thought. 

Seonghwa kept an eye out as he saw a mop of freshly dyed black hair walk up to the stage, exterior completely exuding confidence as he grabbed the two trophies in the name of Choi Jongho that sat on the podium. Seonghwa was drawn to this child, the same way he had been with Hongjoong, and he didn't know why. He quickly pulled out his phone and looked for the rookie's profile. 

_**Name: Choi Jongho** _

_**Age: 21** _

_**Occupation: Idol, Actor** _

_'Aha! That's why he was so in demand.'_ As the director observed the rookie actor closely, he could see faint tremors go through the younger's body and chuckled lightly. He turned to Hongjoong to tell his friend about the boy when he was met with a completely smitten face. Seonghwa smirked, oh how Hongjoong was never getting out of this. 

"Here are the list of actors said to be confirmed in auditioning for the main characters." the casting director handed a folder full of profiles and names of top-class actors in South Korea. 

Seonghwa scanned through the names and furrowed his eyebrows, seeming to dislike the choice of actors. The producer and casting director gulped at the serious look on the director's face, that look never meant anything good. Seonghwa shut the folder just as sharp as the breath he just took, handing it back to the casting director and rubbed his hands on his face in distress. 

"Why is it a female lead?" he asked coldly. 

Silence. 

"I said." Seonghwa snapped his eyes at the both of them, eyes rivaling that of icicles. "Why are there actresses in that list," he pointed sharply at the poor folder. "when I've made it clear that it was two men in the couple?" he interrogated, not wanting to hear nonsense. 

"Seonghwa, you can't be serious-" 

"We've been through this, I'm sure of my decisions." the director scowled at the producer. 

The producer winced, trying to come up with an excuse. "But this is South Korea, you can't expect them to wake up from homophobia just because of a damn drama!" 

"I'm pretty much aware of that. Get me another list." Seonghwa nodded at the casting director, arms crossed and feet tapping caused by impatience and annoyance. 

"You're never serious about this stage of the drama, what changed it?" the producer inquired. "Was it the large budget?" 

"No. It's history, I'm following the real deal." Seonghwa shut any more inquiries and comments from the producer until the casting director peeked her head in the doorway. 

"W-we've prepared an all men's list f-for the couple too, if you'd like to see-" 

"Give me." 

The casting director swiftly nodded and rushed out of the office, clinging onto the folder for dear life. After a few, she returned with an undoubtedly thinner folder and handed it to Seonghwa, biting her lips nervously. 

The duo glanced at each other nervously as they watched the serious director skim through the names. Seonghwa's eyebrows raised at the good selection of actors presented in the thin file. He handed it back to the girl, then looked at them with a satisfied smile. 

"Cast Choi Jongho and Kim Hongjoong."

Water sprayed everywhere, "WHAT?" Hongjoong stared incredulously at his best friend, not believing what he's been told. 

Seonghwa wiped his clothes with the spare tissue he had, "Choi Jongho will be your male lead." he stated as he disgustedly flicked away the water that got to him. 

"That rookie? Why?" the actor asked him as he skimmed his eyes through the script that Seonghwa delivered to him. Thankfully, it hadn't been tainted by the water he accidentally sprayed everywhere. 

Seonghwa shrugged at him, "You like him." 

"No I do not!" Hongjoong stared in disbelief.

"Yeah okay, say that to the time you were completely smitten by him in the award show." 

The actor froze, not knowing what to say. "Y-you saw?" Hongjoong thought he had hidden his so-called infatuation with the junior actor quite well. 

Hongjoong first saw him in the filming set of Imitation, as he was visiting his friend San just as they were just wrapping up for the day. Ever since that day, he had made sure to watch every single episode of the drama, not caring about the storyline and his friend. Yes, he only watched Imitation for Jongho. 

"The whole team saw, idiot." 

"Shit."

It was the first day of shooting, Seonghwa was hyped, to say the least. He had been waiting for this particular scene ever since they decided to skip it during the script-reading, opting for a completely improvised scene in order to see how well the drama couple worked together. 

He ran through the outline of the scene to the duo, telling them where to run and how many drone cameras were waiting on them. The couple listened intently and seemed to discuss what their actions were going to be in order for the most important scene of the drama to be done in one-take. 

**_"OKAY, STANDBY."_ **

Seonghwa made a few last minute adjustments before going back to his seat and catching the attention of everyone, set hushing down. 

_**"LIGHTS, CAMERA… ACTION."** _

As the staffs watched along the sidelines, they can't help but witness everything with a bated breath. Seonghwa monitored everything closely and is 99% convinced that the couple are in their true nature, noting how Hongjoong has never been this immersed into acting. 

_"and you…. are the nightmare."_

Quiet gasps echoed throughout the vicinity and Seonghwa gently let out a puff of breath at the masterpiece happening right in front of him, it was like he's witnessing the crown prince's exile in person. 

Once they reached the forest scene, Seonghwa watched through the screen what was happening and almost yelled when Hongjoong tripped on his feet. "He can't get injured on the first day!" Seonghwa exclaimed under his breath. The director watched in awe as he saw Jongho desperately carry Hongjoong in a piggyback ride, clinging onto him as if he were to be gone once let go of. 

As they reached the waterfall, Seonghwa looked around to see every single staff sobbing at the scene in front of them. The man's heart clenched as he observed the actors be in utter ruins and seem to only care about surviving the world they are stuck in. 

The soldiers have finally reached the couple and the director cried out seeing the panic and pain in their eyes, he gaped as Hongjoong smiled warmly at Jongho with the warmth that defeat the one he had given Seonghwa back then in the award show. 

Mingi, who was in charge of the lighting, sobbed beside him and wailed when the two shared their last kiss in acceptance and peace.

The couple hugged each other one last time and closed their eyes tightly. 

_'Wait, were they planning on jumping?'_ Seonghwa stood up from his seat and yelled into his megaphone, hoping he would be heard amongst the loud crashes of the waterfall. 

_**"CUT."** _

The couple flinched at the sound and glanced around, finally snapping out of the acting trance and noticing their audience. 

Knees buckling, the director sat back down into his seat in disbelief at what just happened. _'That's not very Hongjoong of him…'_ he thought, mulling over the acting style his friend did this time. 

Seonghwa glanced back at the duo and saw his friend hold a devastated Jongho in his arms. Normally he would be getting ready to tease Hongjoong, but after that stunt, he didn't know how to function. 

Jongho’s sobs resonated throughout the forest, heavy sounds of waterfall seeming like a calm river compared to it. 

The director listened into the actors' post-acting conversation, 

_"Let me guess, you felt it too?"_

_"I remembered it too."_

The tall man smiled at the two and decided to leave them be.

"I knew I felt something shift when I saw them in one vicinity." Seonghwa chuckled and went back to the tent, calling for the scriptwriter. He greeted Yunho with a smile and the latter beamed at him with an excited smile. 

"We're not gonna need character names now, you said it yourself right?" 

"Yes, Director Park~" Yunho sing-songed, feeling giddy about the outcome. "I told you I remembered accurately." he nudged the director. 

"Just get to work." Seonghwa quipped fondly at him. 


End file.
